Headaches and migraines are two of the most common ailments in the world, with up to 80% of the population having at least one headache per year. They can widely vary in their type and intensity, meaning that some may rarely suffer at all, however there are individuals who suffer so much that it begins to take a toll on their everyday life, even causing them to take time off work or cancel their social plans. There are various types of headaches that all have different causes. These include migraines, tension, cluster, cervicogenic, sinus headaches and many more. As osteopaths, the two most common types that we treat are tension and cervicogenic, however osteopathic treatment can help to relieve many variations of headache.At City Osteopaths, we are specially trained to assess and determine the cause of your headaches. We conduct a thorough case history, in order to ascertain how often they occur, when they occur, where they occur and whether there are any specific triggers to your headaches. We can rule out certain headaches that may need further medical investigation from your GP and we will conduct a postural assessment to decipher the cause of your headaches. ​​What causes tension or cervicogenic headaches?

Tension or tight muscles in the neck, back, jaw and eyes are common causes of tension headaches.

Nerves that are irritated or inflamed in the neck can lead to pain symptoms in the form of a headache.

Dysfunction or stiffness in the upper three cervical (neck) vertebrae are another common cause.​

Osteopaths use specific and gentle techniques to loosen the muscles and joints in the neck and back which can help to relieve the symptoms of headaches. We can also provide you with exercises that you can do at home to help to stretch specific muscles and improve posture. A combination of manual therapy and home exercises has been found to be highly effective in treating cervicogenic and tension headaches. Every individual will manage their symptoms in different ways, often through a system of trial and error.

Here are some common ways to help you with the management of headaches and migraines.

Staying hydrated – dehydration is a common cause of headaches. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water daily. Avoiding caffeine has also been known to prevent headaches.

Staying relaxed – life can get busy, or even chaotic at times. It’s important to take time out to clear your mind. Meditation, mindful breathing, yoga and even so much as a brisk walk, can all help to counteract the symptoms of headaches and help you unwind.

Sleep plenty – The National Sleep Foundation recommends that we get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. To improve sleeping patterns, it’s important to unwind at night time.

Work station set up – many of us spend a lot of time working at our desks, therefore it’s important that our posture is correct when we do so. Getting an ergonomic assessment of your work station can help to check that your chair, desk and computer are at the correct height and position for you. This will prevent you working in a difficult posture that tightens muscles and potentially causes headaches. ​

Avoiding bright lights – many people find that bright or flickering lights can be a trigger for their headaches. Reducing screen time when possible (particularly before bed) can help.

Exercise and get fresh air – a combination of exercise and fresh air can work wonders for our health.

If you suffer from headaches you are more than welcome to get in touch and see how osteopathy can benefit you. ​

People around fifty years of age or earlier will usually notice their joints getting stiffer and muscles tighter.

As a Registered Osteopath, I hear this a lot in practice, “Oh it's just getting older” is usually the phrase. However have you stopped to think if that is really the case? It is true that our tissues lose some elasticity with the reduction in collagen as we head beyond fifty, however research has shown it is a case of “use it or lose it” rather than the passing years that determines how mobile we are as we get older.

Movement is crucial for ‘oiling’ our joints with synovial fluid and improving the blood supply carrying nutrients and oxygen to every one of our nine trillion cells in our body.

Here are the top seven points for keeping mobile as we age:

Develop a daily routine of gentle stretches - this can be a short as five minutes but needs to be done daily. Once you start, be determined to continue each day for the whole week, then add another week till you get to 3 or 4 weeks and then decide if it is helpful to you. Not missing a day means you can never go through being stiff and sore again!​​

Time your stretches for the same time each day, at a time that works for you. People often find either first thing before breakfast, or when first home from work or just before bed are the best times in their busy schedule. I could say that “you wouldn't miss brushing your teeth for a day so think of your mobility exercise like that and don't miss a day!”

Start gently and slowly build up. Some days you may only manage a couple of minutes and do your favourites, but at least you have not missed a day. Over time you might start to enjoy them so much you go to ten minutes or even twenty minutes on the weekend and really feel the benefits. Adding in a weekly class in Pilates or yoga with a qualified and experienced teacher is also very beneficial to support the daily practice and correct any technique issues you may have.

If you are not sure what exercises to start with, ask one of our Reg. Osteopaths, we are experts in anatomy, physiology and suitable exercises. Also if we have treated you, we are pretty clued up about what will be best for your body too!

Walking is usually a good way to get moving and within most people's ability. Try to walk on natural ground, that is surfaces that have some 'interest' to them rather then just flat pavements. Using minimalist footwear can really help improve the amount of proprioceptive feedback your central nervous system gets from your feet and legs which can be very helpful in reducing some forms of back pain.

Ideally get your partner, friends or whole family joining in! If you can encourage each other, this will help you keep going. Also the whole family and your friends benefit, with better posture and mood (think blood to brain and more exercise induced endorphins).

Add some balance exercises in there, this can be as simple as standing on one foot as you brush your teeth. Right foot for the top teeth, left foot for the bottom teeth. Falls are what can really set a person back when they are getting older, its the fall and break a hip which may be the injury never quite recovered from.

(PS: If you have already fallen then you don't need a doctors referral to come see one of our osteopaths. We can help you fill out the ACC forms in our clinic. We are able get you back on your feet in the nicest possible way then give you some suitable exercises to help prevent recurrence and to improve your overall wellness and mobility).

Finally, I can report this works, not just from research but from my experience, having just completed nearly five years of daily mobility and strengthening exercises without missing a day. I feel SO good with this daily routine. I found by committing to it and waking a bit earlier I have been able to fit it into each day, while working full-time as an Registered Osteopath and small business owner and being mum to two primary school age children.

"If you can allocate the small amount of time and make a commitment to yourself to do it daily, I promise you that keeping mobile as you age, IS possible!"

OOS/ Occupation Overuse Syndrome or RSI/Repetitive Strain Injury seem to be one of the plagues of the 21st century; with office workers spending even more time behind desks, computer screens, in office chairs and utilising a mouse. Studies show we are spending up to 8 hours a day in this kind of environment and unfortunately the body 'evolutionary wise' hasn't caught up!

​That pain, tingling/ numbness, burning sensation or loss of strength is a sign your forearms, wrists, hands, joints are not recovering from the load they're having put on them; chronic fine muscle movements such as that of a computer mouse, wreak havoc on small muscle groups and tendons. This unfortunately tends to lead to another condition: chronic inflammation. The inflammatory response is crucial for the body’s survival and repair with acute injury, however when it becomes persistent and chronic, this beneficial role reverses and it actually starts to do damage.

​Acupuncture can provide some much needed relief from the constant discomfort of OOS/RSI. This is achieved through stimulating the afferent nerve fibres in the tight restricted forearms, which makes them relax and release some of the tension.Then the increase in fluid circulation, stimulated by an Acupuncture needle, works as a natural anti-inflammatory, assisting in breaking the cycle of chronic inflammation and lessening the destructive effect it has on tissues. The end result is more mobility and most importantly, a reduction in pain. This results in muscles becoming healthy and being able to open a jar or lift the kettle. Body movements which were difficult or painful become achievable again!

​Many more people are realising the downsides of excessive alcohol or sugar intake to try to mask the feelings of stress and are looking for healthy options to help them relax and feel good. Gentle hands on treatment has been shown to be very effective in improving the parasympathetic nervous system response (ie the vagus nerve) and reducing the 'fright/fight and flight' response. This makes you feel grounded, relaxed, calm and happier than usual.

At City Osteopaths Healthcare we have osteopaths, acupuncturists, massage therapists, naturopaths and counselling available. We have many ways of approaching stress and helping your body back to health.

To manage well in todays busy world, we most likely all need to do something to help us feel centred, happy and calm.

Here is City Osteopaths recommended five minute mindful breathing exercise:

1.) Find a comfortable and stable posture either sitting or lying on your back. Allow your back to be straight but not rigid. Let your arms and hands rest in a relaxed position. If you like you can put one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.

Pause here and after each subsequent step.

2.) Close your eyes, if it feels comfortable. If not, soften your gaze.

3.) Bring your attention to the present moment by noticing how you’re feeling physically. Scan your body from head to toe and consciously let any tension slip away. Take a moment to notice your environment – any sounds you might hear in the background, what the temperature feels like in the room, the air on your skin.

4.) After that, bring your attention to your breathing from three vantage points:–First, notice the sensation of your breath going in/out of your nostrils or mouth.–Second, as you breath, pay attention to the rise/fall of your chest.–Third, notice the rise/fall of your belly as you breath.

5.) Pick the vantage point that seems to be the easiest for you to focus on. Follow the breath for its full duration, from the start to finish. Notice that the breath happens on its own, without any conscious effort. Some breaths may be slow, some fast, some shallow or deep. You don’t need to control the breath, you just need to notice it.

6.) If you find it helpful, you can say “1″ to yourself on each in- breath and “2″ on each out-breath.

7.) Each time your mind wanders away from the breath (and this will happen many times!), notice where it goes and then gently bring your attention back to the feeling of the breath going in and out.

When the mind wanders, you can make a mental note of it. For example, if you drift away from your breath to thinking about the future, you can say to yourself “calm, calm". If your mind is pulled to a sensation of discomfort in your body, you can say to yourself “ease, ease". Or, if you notice you’re focused on something worrisome from the past, you can say "let it go". and then gently bring your attention back to the present moment – noticing the breath.

8.) Your mind may wander hundreds of times or more during these 5 minutes – that’s ok and quite natural! Your “job” is to catch yourself when you’ve wandered and to gently bring your focus back to the breath every time, without judging yourself for how “well” or “poorly” you’re doing the exercise.

9.) Try to practice this exercise for 5 minutes (or longer if you’d like) every day, for at least one week. Notice how it feels to spend some time each day just being with your breath.

Practicing mindful breathing is like strengthening your muscle of living in the present; as you practice more, you’ll find it easier to remain in the here and now, rather than being caught up in the past or in some fantasy about the future.

Living in the “now” tends to feel more peaceful and clear, even when external circumstances are difficult. Mindfulness practice is not a prescription for tuning out the world; rather, it’s about tuning in with open and compassionate awareness. Relating to life from this vantage point not only feels better, but often results in more skillful living.

I am preparing an audio version of this mindful breathing meditation which will hopefully be ready shortly.